Chapter 016 Me and My Enemy Father and Brother

That night, perhaps because the Lord of the Sword Sealing Tower was angry the previous night, those resentful souls hid somewhere unknown, and the top of the mountain was very quiet tonight.

Chen Wenjian is taking a bath.

He stood by the well, dressed in his undergarment, scooping up water one ladle at a time and pouring it over himself. The blood-stained water dripped onto his feet, meandering in all directions.

Chen Yunli looked through the window and saw him bathing in the moonlight and water light. His wet clothes clung to his smooth body lines, and the semi-transparent fabric vaguely revealed the white skin on his chest and the scars on it. They had been hideous not long ago, but now they were almost invisible.

He looked away, clearly not thinking anything, yet feeling inexplicably guilty.

Rubbing his burning ears, Chen Yunli coughed lightly through the door and reminded him, "It's cold, don't take too long to shower."

The sound of dripping water paused for a moment, and after a while, Chen Wenjian responded. After a while, Chen Yunli heard a knock on the door, opened the door and let him in.

Chen Wenjian changed into black clothes, and there was a lingering coldness around him. His eyelashes were wet, and there was mist in his eyes. He looked softer than usual.

"Can I..." he said hesitantly, "stay in your room for one night? I won't take up your bed, I'll just sleep on the floor."

His fingers dug into the door frame, tightening as he spoke.

"...Come in." Chen Yunli leaned over. "There's no need to sleep on the floor. I have extra quilts and pillows in my closet. I'm sorry to bother you with squeezing in with me."

"Yeah." Chen Wenjian blinked away the water droplets on his eyelashes and added softly, "I don't feel wronged."

The narrow wooden bed, which could only accommodate an adult man lying flat and turning over, was piled with two quilts tonight. Chen Yunli slept on the inner side, wrapped in the quilt like a silkworm cocoon. He struggled to stick his head out and smoothed his messy hair.

Chen Wenjian lay on his side facing him, his arm resting neatly on his cheek, his hair hanging down from his forehead, half covering his delicate eyebrows and eyes.

The candlelight went out, the moonlight came into the house, and the air was filled with the cool frost brought by the autumn wind, diluting the sleepiness that was not strong to begin with.

Chen Yunli had just watched Chen Wenjian being tortured... no, the scene of him practicing martial arts. When he closed his eyes, he could see those bloody scenes. He could even smell the faint smell of rust at the tip of his nose, which made him uneasy.

His temples ached slightly, and his eyelids felt heavy and stiff, signals from his body that he needed to rest.

But I just can't sleep.

Chen Yunli scratched his head in annoyance.

As if hearing some movement, Chen Wenjian opened his eyes that had just closed, and loosely wrapped his fingers around his wrist: "Are you not used to sharing a bed with someone else?"

"No." Chen Yunli blurted out, "Maybe... I'm too tired. My body wants to sleep, but my mind is very clear. I might be able to fall asleep if I hold on a little longer."

Chen Wenjian hummed, but did not let go of his hand. He kept it loosely grasped between the two quilts, pressed his fingertips on his protruding wrist bone, and rubbed it soothingly.

"You were scared by me." He said in a firm tone.

Chen Yunli paused and said, "Actually, I wasn't scared. I was just angry. Your master doesn't treat you as a human being at all. That kind of training method is no different from forcing you to die."

Chen Wenjian's eyes were bright at night, like bluestone washed by spring water, soaked in the moonlight, flickering faintly.

"There are hundreds of kinds of spiritual practice in the world, and this is one of them. At least I have benefited a lot from it. As a master, he is qualified in imparting skills."

"The premise is that he is really teaching you skills." Chen Yunli refuted his excuse for the Sword Sealing Tower Master. "I don't think he really wants to make you stronger this way. He's more like..."

Chen Yunli paused for a long moment before finally finding a suitable analogy: "I'll use you as a whetstone to sharpen the broken sword in the sword tomb. Did you find anything wrong while practicing?"

Chen Wenjian lowered his eyes, and the dim light reflected his dark blue eyelashes, like two dense fans.

"Is there something wrong... In recent days, it has become increasingly difficult for me to break through the siege of the Sword Tomb, and my training time has been extended by half an hour. Does this count?"

"You mean that as the Broken Sword's attack becomes stronger, your training time is also extended?" Chen Yunli raised his upper body and pulled his wrist out of his fingers.

Chen Wenjian subconsciously clenched his five fingers, but only felt the cold night wind, which added a hint of loss to his tone.

"Yes. Every time I practice, the Broken Sword's power increases the next day. Master probably makes adjustments based on my progress, and I don't think it's inappropriate," he said. "Before tonight."

Before tonight?

Chen Yunli leaned in front of him, his dark eyes surprisingly bright: "What did you discover tonight?"

Chen Wenjian avoided his gaze and helped him lie down. "My blood splattered in the soil, and the broken swords were buried in the earth as well. There was nothing unusual before, but just now, while practicing, I saw red lines on their broken blades, like bloodshot veins. Where the bloodshot veins were, new blades, about half an inch long, grew."

“…”

"I mean, is there a possibility?" Chen Yunli's forehead veins throbbed. "He's using you to support his sword."

"Maybe." Chen Wenjian didn't care. "But I also got some benefits, so we both got what we needed."

Chen Yunli sighed, feeling torn. On the one hand, he believed Chen Wenjian wouldn't let him suffer easily, but on the other hand, he thought Chen Wenjian was incredibly patient, holding his temper like this. He was completely different from the future villain who threatened to destroy the world.

Moreover, if he could forgive this matter, Chen Yunli really couldn't think of anything else the Sword Sealing Tower Master could do that would make him want to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Chen Yunli asked one last time: "Do you really not mind?"

"Becoming stronger comes at a price." Chen Wenjian wrapped his arm around his wrist again, his fingertips pressing against his pulse. His heartbeat seemed to resonate with the rhythmic tremor. "Every night of risking your life is the price you pay."

After saying that, he was quiet for a moment and added, "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

The emperor is not in a hurry for the eunuchs. Chen Yunli now feels that he is the eunuch who is too eager to do things.

But he was not angry, instead he felt some pity.

“It’s okay not to care. Only with a broad mind can you live longer.”

In the darkness, Chen Yunli pinched the joint in the middle of Chen Wenjian's index finger with his backhand.

"I hope you never mind and never regret it."

…

Chen Yunli fell into a drowsy sleep and regained consciousness the next morning.

He moved his arms and legs lazily, and suddenly found that his arms felt a little heavy, as if something was pressing on them. His chest was warm, but his back was cold, as if wind was blowing into his clothes.

He opened his sleepy eyes and looked down, only to find that he had kicked off the quilt at some point, turned half of his body outward and pressed on Chen Wenjian, his arms across his chest and abdomen, his chin resting on the top of his head, his calves resting on his legs, clinging to him tightly like he was hugging a giant panda pillow when he was a child.

Chen Yunli was stunned for three full seconds before jumping back as if he had been electrocuted.

“Hmm…”

Chen Wenjian lay quietly, his guard probably shattered by the broken sword last night. He didn't wake up even with Chen Yunli hugging him like that. But after Chen Yunli stepped back, he frowned and slowly opened his eyes.

He used his elbows to support himself on the bed and sat up. His long hair cascaded down his shoulders. He brushed it back casually, his voice still vaguely filled with sleepiness: "Good morning."

"……morning."

Chen Yunli was extremely glad that he was the first one to wake up. He patted his flushed face and pushed Chen Wenjian nonchalantly: "Let me get out of bed first. If you are sleepy, you can sleep a little longer."

Those two sentences were enough for Chen Wenjian to clear his remaining sleepiness. He curled up his long legs to let the dust clouds pass, then got out of bed and put on his shoes. His glossy black hair cascaded down as he bent down, glistening in the sunlight.

Chen Yunli scratched his hair, and accidentally saw his disheveled hair. His lips loosened, and the hairband in his mouth fluttered to the ground.

Is it really appropriate for a grown man to look good?

He gathered his hair with one hand and picked up the hairband with the other, when he suddenly remembered that Chen Wenjian was essentially a fictional character, and he felt relieved.

Well, paper people should look this good.

The two men walked out of the house one after the other. The sun shone brightly and fell on the long sword in the hands of the Sword Sealing Tower Master who was sitting beside the stone table, reflecting a sharp cold light that made Chen Yunli squint.

The Sword Sealing Tower Master wiped the blade with a wet towel and asked calmly, "Did you two sleep together last night?" without even looking up.

Chen Wenjian paused, a faint blush creeping up to his ears and then seeping towards his cheeks.

Chen Yunli looked at him in surprise - so thin-skinned?

Chen Wenjian coughed lightly, turned his head away, and waved his hand, signaling him not to think too much.

"Oh, we talked late into the night last night, and since we talked too late, I let him stay overnight." Chen Yunli walked to the well to fetch water for washing, and responded with confidence, his tone a little aggressive because of what happened last night.

The Lord of the Sword Sealing Tower looked up in surprise, his gaze moving back and forth between them twice, and finally he looked at Chen Wenjian and smiled.

"My disciple is cold-hearted and cold-faced, but it's rare for him to have a friend he's willing to sleep with. Not bad." He turned over the long sword and continued to wipe it. "Disciple, after you wash up, go to the kitchen and bring out breakfast. I got up early today and cooked this specially for you all. Try it."

"yes."

Chen Wenjian bowed his head and agreed.

A moment later, Chen Yunli sat opposite the Lord of Fengjian Tower. On the table were two bowls of steaming white noodles, seasoned with only salt and chopped green onions. The noodles were thin and long, curled into a ball and sank to the bottom of the soup. They were white and shiny, as if reflecting light.

He flicked his chopsticks and asked, "Master, have you eaten?"

"I've eaten." The Sword Sealing Tower Master smiled. "Why, don't you trust my cooking?"

Chen Yunli smiled but did not answer. The Lord of the Sword Sealing Tower did not care. He picked up the scabbard from his feet and put the polished sword back.

The sword's edge flashed with a cold light, like the shadow of a tree blown by the wind, flickering in the waves. Chen Yunli raised his hand to block it, but accidentally saw through his fingers that there was a net-like red pattern near the middle of the sword, like traces of needle and thread mending, bridging the two ends of the sword.

The color of the lines is very similar to dried blood, and also very similar to the color of the sand in the sword tomb.

Chen Yunli put down his hand and turned to look at Chen Wenjian. He had a dull expression and used chopsticks to pick up the noodles at the bottom of the bowl.

After the Sword Sealing Tower Master put away his sword, he held his chin and looked at the two of them quietly.

Chen Yunli had no choice but to finish the noodles with Chen Wenjian.

The soup was salty and the noodles were tough and unpalatable.

The Lord of the Sword Sealing Tower seemed not to notice the look of agony on Chen Yunli's face. After confirming that there was no food left at the bottom of the bowl, he stood up and walked leisurely into the tower, instructing them not to prepare lunch or dinner for him today.

As soon as he left, Chen Yunli jumped up and spat three times, then rushed to the well to get water to rinse his mouth.

This wasn't Chen Wenjian's first time eating his master's cooking, so he was already used to it. He even had the leisure to ask him, "Is it really that bad?"

"Of course! This broken noodle dog shook his head when he saw it!"

Chen Yunli gargled, pointed at the rocks at the edge of the cliff, and said vaguely, "Chen Wenjian, next time he cooks, we should find a way to send him away and then bring the food there."

"Why?"

"It's convenient to carry both the noodles and the bowl into the mountains!"